He previously served as deputy head of Oil Supplies Division of PLA General Logistics Department.

He is so far the first academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering sacked for graft since the beginning of Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption battle after he took power in the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

[3] Zhou was born in Zhenlai County, Jilin, China, on August 30, 1949, with his ancestral home in Wendeng, Shandong.

Zhou enlisted in the People's Liberation Army in October 1968, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in April 1971.

In January 2001 he became the deputy head of Oil Supplies Division of PLA General Logistics Department.